Rooftops at midnight
by shmulia
Summary: Sometimes Ladybug just needs space to breathe. Or cry. Maybe both. Sometimes a certain cat knows exactly what to say.


Paris was beautiful at midnight.

The city sparkled, lights reflecting off the Seine as the streetlamps shone across the city. The Eiffel Tower was lit up for some event, a bright beacon reaching for the stars.

A lone figure stared at the monument, stepping out towards the ledge of the rooftop she was on. In a few strides she reached it, and moved so that she was sitting near the edge, Paris sprawled beneath her like a glittering map.

Rooftops were a wonderful place to think.

Marinette had discovered this soon after Tikki had found her, after she had transformed into Ladybug for the first time. Sheer panic had gotten the best of her – after all, finding out you were a superhero in a very bright catsuit wasn't an everyday occurrence – and she had used her newfound abilities to run, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until her earrings had begun to beep. She'd landed on the roof of one of the beautiful houses overlooking the Eiffel Tower before her transformation faded, and had sat there whilst Tikki explained about her powers.

They had stayed there for a while as Marinette absorbed the information; dusk had begun to fall, and she had watched the sun slip out of the sky whilst she calmed herself down. After a while, she let Tikki comfort her, and transformed into Ladybug again to make her way home. But she remembered the rooftop, and now and again, when everything became too much for her, she would go there just to _breathe_ for a while.

Well, breathe or cry. It was usually a toss-up between the two.

Tonight was no exception; it had just been one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong. An early morning akuma attack had made her late for school, she had been scolded by her teacher for yet again forgetting her homework, Chloe had tripped her up in front of Adrien after she and Alya had argued and, as if that hadn't been bad enough, there was _another_ akuma attack in the afternoon which she and Chat Noir had defeated by the skin of their teeth.

She was tired of living two lives. So, so tired.

So she had run to the only place where she knew she wouldn't be disturbed, the only place where she didn't have to _pretend_.

Marinette sat on the edge of the roof and curled her head into her knees, breathing hard. She didn't want to cry, it always made Tikki feel so bad when she detransformed, but as she wrapped her arms around her legs tightly she wasn't sure she could hold it back.

"So, come here often?" a voice purred behind her, and Marinette felt her demeanour change from Marinette to Ladybug instantly. She groaned softly, burying her face further into her knees; of all the times for him to find her...

She didn't reply. Tonight wasn't a night for playful conversation, and she wasn't exactly going to pour her soul out about her life to Chat Noir; they were close, yes, but some things were best kept to herself. She could hear his soft footsteps moving towards her, and his voice was closer when he spoke again.

"I know that look. Love troubles?" he asked. The jovialness of his tone cut through Ladybug like a knife.

"You're making fun of me," she whispered, unsure if her words would be heard. She couldn't talk to him like this, not when she needed to be serious.

"Ha! Not this time," Chat Noir replied. Ladybug could feel his gaze on her, and his tone softened. "Tell me about it?" he asked.

Ladybug paused. Of all the things in her life, an unrequited crush was really no big deal. So Adrien didn't notice her – so what? She saved the world on a weekly basis, was class president, and had wonderful friends. She didn't need Adrien to make her happy, she knew that.

But _God_ , sometimes it hurt. And really, she trusted Chat Noir; she wasn't going to tell him everything, but an objective view couldn't hurt, right?

She didn't move from her position, but saw Chat Noir's hand lean on the ground as he moved to sit beside her as she spoke.

"Well... he doesn't..." Ladybug let out a shaky breath, blinking back hot tears. "He doesn't notice me at all."

It sounded stupid, juvenile. She regretted the words as soon as she said them; out of everything she could be worrying about, she was getting upset over a boy? They could be destroyed by an akuma, she could fail her classes, she could-

"Hmm!" he murmured. Ladybug shifted her head so she could see him. He was looking at the view of Paris, a soft smile on his face.

"What?" she asked. He turned to look at her.

"He'd have to be the biggest fool in the whole world not to notice you," Chat Noir said, his voice full of honesty. Ladybug lifted her head, her eyes flicking up to meet his gaze. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and he chuckled at the surprise on her face.

"It's true. You're amazing, everyone in Paris knows it; one moronic boy who can't see that isn't worth the time of day."

Ladybug snorted.

"You're just saying that because I could push you off this roof with very little difficulty," she said, her lips quirking slightly.

Chat Noir smirked, tilting his head to the side in agreement. "Well, you aren't _wrong_ , but that's not why I'm saying it. You're a fantastic person."

Ladybug's shoulders drooped. "Yeah, as Ladybug," she stated morosely.

"Hmm?"

She turned to face Chat Noir fully. "I'm great as _Ladybug_. But that's only me for a fraction of the time! The real me isn't - I'm -" She sighed. "I'm nothing special."

Chat Noir frowned.

"Well, that's just not true," he stated, causing Ladybug to roll her eyes.

"How would you know?" she said, placing her chin on her knees again as she looked over the Seine. Chat Noir placed a hand on her shoulder, and its warmth reminded Ladybug just how cold the night actually was.

"Because no matter who you are, you save _this,"_ he gestured outwards to the glittering cityscape of Paris, "regularly. You face akuma every week, and you're still here, fighting for people who wouldn't be around if you didn't. It doesn't matter if you don't act like Ladybug when you're not transformed; you're successfully saving the world and living a double life. And that's pretty amazing if you ask me."

Ladybug blinked at him in shock as she met his emerald eyes. At the surprise on her face, Chat Noir shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, it's true," he stated, shifting his head to stare resolutely at the river. Ladybug could see the hint of a blush on his cheeks, and uncurled herself from her sitting position. She shuffled closer to him, and rested her forehead on his shoulder. She felt him tense slightly in surprise before he relaxed.

"Thank you," she whispered, stretching her legs out so they dangled off the roof's edge. "You too, you know."

"What's that?" Chat Noir asked, his eyes flicking to hers.

"Everything you said – it applies to you, too. You're kind of awesome, you know that?"

Ladybug could _hear_ the smile in his voice as he replied.

"Thanks. Apparently I'm not awesome enough to have my own fan blog, though."

Ladybug laughed, lifting her head off of him and leaning back on her hands.

"Well, what can I say, 'Ladyblog' just rolls off the tongue so much more nicely than 'Chatblog'."

"True," Chat Noir conceded. He leant backwards on his hands, unintentionally mimicking the pose of the girl next to him. They sat in silence for a while, watching the party beneath them until Ladybug spoke.

"What are you even doing out here?" she asked, unable to hide her curiousity. She heard Chat Noir chuckle.

"Well, I find that my home can be a bit... restrictive, let's say. It's nice to get out now and again, and doing it as Chat Noir is probably safer than doing it detransformed." Ladybug nodded.

"How about y-" Chat Noir's question was interrupted by the beeping of his ring; he stood up, offering a hand to the still-seated Ladybug, who took it without hesitation. He pulled her up, away from the rooftop's edge, and bowed to her.

"Well, looks like that's my cue to leave," he winked. Ladybug rolled her eyes as he straightened his stance, hand still enclosed in his, before pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you for tonight. I really appreciate it," she said before stepping away. Chat Noir squeezed her hand.

"If you ever... I mean, if you want to talk – about anything, boys or life or whatever... well, I'm here for you." He smiled at her. "We're in this together, after all. Can't have some boy making my partner sad."

Ladybug laughed softly.

"Don't you need to get going?" she asked as the ring beeped again urgently. Chat Noir sighed dramatically.

"So eager to get rid of me. How you wound me, my lady." He pulled her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on the back of it. "And I meant what I said. That boy's a fool."

He spun around and leapt away, bounding across the rooftop to detransform away from any prying eyes. Ladybug shook her head, her pigtails bouncing on her shoulders. She looked back to the Eiffel Tower as her earrings beeped and smiled before making her own way home.

Paris was always beautiful at midnight, but now the lights seemed to shine slightly brighter.


End file.
